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There is much disparity today among people who claim to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and those who claim He was nothing more than a good man, teacher or heretic. However, there is more evidence to prove the reality of the fact that He is our Messiah than there is to prove He is not. Any one of the following points is enough to verify this claim.

There are over 60 similar prophecies, which the Old Testament prophets recorded, which were fulfilled by Jesus’ life, crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension. In the seventh century Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). This occurred over 600 years before Jesus was even born.

Although Jesus’ parents lived in Nazareth, the Roman census forced them to make the trip to Bethlehem to pay their taxes just in time for His birth. Matthew records the fulfillment of this prophecy (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1). Jesus was also born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18). Jesus came from the lineage of Abraham (Genesis 12:3, 22:18; Matthew 1:1, Romans 9:5). Our Messiah is heir to King David’s throne (2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah 9:7; Julie 1:32-33, Romans 1:3).

He healed the sick (Isaiah 35:5–6; Matthew 11:5). The soldiers beat and spat upon Jesus (Isaiah 50:6; Mark 14:65). He hung crucified on the cross next to sinners (Isaiah 53:12; Mark 14:65). A rich friend allowed his family and disciples to burry Jesus in his tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57–60). The money paid to Judas for betraying Jesus ended up being used to by a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 27:9-10).

Jesus resurrected from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6). He ascended into heaven (Psalm 68:18; Mark 16:19). God exalted Him at His right hand (Psalm 110:1; 1 Peter 3:22). These are just some of the prophecies, which prove that Jesus is our Messiah, and which validate the authenticity of the Bible. These facts certainly strengthen our faith, fulfill our life and promise us a fantastic future.

Prayer:
Father God, we pray for those people who are blinded by pride and rebellion from seeing the wonderful truths of Your Word. We ask You to meet them face-to-face on their road in life and to remove the scales from their eyes as You did for Paul. Draw them ever closer to Your wounded heart and humble them, as you did those who already Believe, by allowing them to feel the pain their sin caused You. Thank You for becoming a man, Emmanuel, for our sakes and for dying on Calvary’s cross to set us free from the bondage and degradation of sin.

Thought for the Day:
With forty authors writing from three continents over a span of nearly two thousand years, the Bible maintains that Christ’s work on the cross was ordained by God to bring Salvation to anyone willing to repent and believe.